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Tuesday, June 6, 2017

By Brandon Hall(Email Him At WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)According to a new poll from Mitchell Communications, Lt. Governor Brian Calley has cut into Attorney General Bill Schuette's lead, cutting a margin of over 20% down to a dead heat.Schuette leads Calley 23% to 19%, well within the poll's 4.7% margin of error-that's a statistical tie.Schuette had led by over 30% to Calley's 11% a couple months ago, but the new numbers seem to indicate a tightening race as the August 2018 primary draws closer.Calley may be seeing help in the polls from his new campaign to cut legislator pay and turn Michigan into a part time legislature. Nearly 80% of Republican primary voters support the change, and 2/3 polled say it makes the LG a more attractive candidate.One interesting facet of the poll: former Congresswoman and current Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller would enter the race ahead of Schuette if she decides to jump in.State Senator Patrick Colbeck was not included in the poll, which was conducted just before he entered the race late last week...According to MIRS:"In a hypothetical four-way contest that also includes Saginaw Dr. Jim HINES, Miller received 21 percent support of the 435 Republican primary voters contacted Wednesday by Mitchell Research and Communications.

After the brief bios, all three are within the +/- 4.7 percent margin of error -- Schuette 23 percent, Miller 20 percent and Calley 19 percent.

Without Miller in the race, Schuette is at 21 percent, Calley 16 percent, Hines 1 percent and a 62 percent majority undecided.

Of those who answered the polling questions, 92 percent said they were "definitely" voting in the August 2018 gubernatorial primary election and 6 percent said they were "probably" voting. The other 2 percent were not sure, yet."__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.